HYDERABAD: Justice K Sarath of the Telangana High Court has allowed an implead petition seeking to add 70 proposed respondents in a writ petition challenging the eligibility criteria adopted by the Telangana Public Service Commission (TGPSC) for recruitment to various engineering posts.
The main writ petition was filed by Kolakani Sasikumar and eight other unemployed candidates who appeared for the Assistant Engineer (Civil Engineering) qualifying examination. The petitioners contended that the TGPSC illegally selected candidates possessing only B Tech/BE qualifications despite the recruitment notification dated September 12, 2022 allegedly mandating a Diploma in Civil, Electrical, or Mechanical Engineering for posts including Assistant Engineer, Municipal Assistant Engineer, Technical Officer, and Junior Technical Officer in various engineering departments.
The petitioners sought a declaration that the selection process was arbitrary, discriminatory, and contrary to the applicable service rules and violative of Articles 14, 19, and 21 of the Constitution of India. They also sought revision of the provisional selection list by excluding candidates who do not possess the mandatory diploma qualification and consideration of their own candidature with consequential benefits, including seniority.
During the hearing, the court observed that the provisionally selected candidates, whose appointments could be affected by the outcome of the writ petition, were necessary parties to the proceedings and ought to be heard before any final adjudication.
Pursuant to directions of the court, TGPSC furnished details of the provisional selectees. According to the petitioners, out of 787 provisionally selected candidates, only 173 possessed diploma qualifications, while 614 candidates had B Tech/BE degrees.
The petitioners submitted that impleading all 614 candidates individually was financially and practically unfeasible. Accepting the plea, Justice Sarath allowed the implead application, ordered issuance of notices to the newly impleaded respondents, and adjourned the matter to June 25, 2026.